Comedy Meets Social Commentary in Hulu's 'Woke'

Nerdette

WBEZ

Tv & Film, Self, Nerd, Books, Technology, Tv, Improvement, Culture, Wbez, Society & Culture, Pop, Nerdette, Nerds

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2020

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“I’m not woke. I’m aware.”

That’s the answer Chicago comedian T. Murph gives when he’s asked about his relationship to the title of Woke, a new series that dropped on Hulu earlier this month.

T. Murph plays the role of Clovis, friend and roommate of Keef, the show’s protagonist (played by Lamorne Morris), who tries to avoid controversy in his work until the world forces him to do otherwise.

Greta talks with T. Murph about what being woke means to him, if he moves through the world like his character and whether art demands activism.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This fall, W bez invites you to our upcoming live events.
0:05.0	Join us in person for smart discussions, heartfelt storytelling, and more.
0:09.0	Check out the full calendar now at W be easy.org slash events.
0:15.6	From W be easy Chicago this is your dad I'm Greta Johnson and there's a new show out on Hulu. I don't know if you've seen it yet.
0:24.4	Maybe you've heard about it. It's called Woke and I think it's kind of the perfect combination of
0:28.7	cultural commentary and just like laugh out loud ridiculousness. It stars Lamorn Morris who you might
0:36.6	remember from New Girl and here is a clip of him pretty early on in the first
0:42.0	episode speaking with Iana who's played by
0:44.6	sashir Zamata. I just love your work and what you say with it. I work for a new
0:48.9	publication, The Bay Aryan, and we're looking for controversial artists who are confronting the shitstorm of race and class.
0:55.0	Yeah, but I'm not controversial.
0:57.0	You're a black cartoonist, you're controversial just by existing.
1:01.0	Why is it that as people of color are always having to stand for something or, you know, say
1:06.3	something in our work, you know?
1:08.3	Just the cartoonists.
1:09.3	Because the world's a racist fuck no place.
1:11.8	And that's why I keep it light.
1:13.7	You know, it's just a comic strip about bored breakfast food.
1:19.1	Keep it light.
1:20.4	Yeah, keep it light. Okay.
1:26.0	So Morris's character, Keith, is doing a pretty good job of keeping it light, like it's working well for him until he's attacked by a police officer and inanimate objects start talking to him.
1:38.7	One of the stars of the show is Chicago comedian T-merf. He plays Keith's roommate Clovis, who's kind of a hustler,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WBEZ, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of WBEZ and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.